On Time!

Here's today's post, amazingly on time and fairly long! Enjoy :)


3/5/10

Prompt: “The abyss seemed to never end, like a vacuum of cheesy-B-movie proportions.” (NaNo)

Jacquelyn stared down in front of her, at the chasm plunging down before her feet. The abyss seemed to never end, like a vacuum of cheesy-B-movie proportions. She took a step back, accidentally dislodging a couple pebbles. They tumbled down into the black void, bouncing off the walls as they continued the mad plunge. Jackie waited, but didn’t hear them hit bottom.

A shiver rippled down her spine. That was some 680 big hole, and she had to cross it. How, she had no idea. There was a fraying rope bridge spanning the chasm, but she didn’t trust it to hold her weight. Most of the planks were missing, and in some places, the rope was only holding together by solitary strands.

She eased her knapsack off her shoulders and set it on the ground, rifling through it to find her climbing gear. The gorge wasn’t extraordinarily wide, only about 15 or 20 feet. She had plenty of rope to span that distance, but the trick would be securing it on the other side.

Her gaze fell on the wooden stakes holding the ancient bridge in position. They would do nicely, provided she could get her rope around them. Forming a noose in one end, she spun it experimentally, testing the weight. She figured it would take two practice shots before she managed to successfully lasso the stake.

The first shot fell short by a good three feet, and the second overshot by another foot. Gritting her teeth, she let off the third toss, managing to slip the noose around the small post. She pulled it tight, making sure it was secure before tying off the other end on her side. Two swift strokes with her boot knife severed the decaying bridge, sending rotten slats tumbling down the chasm. Now her rope was the only method of crossing the gorge.

She fastened her clips securely to her harness, attaching the other end to the rope. It was lucky she’d thought to bring extra, as she’d need as much as she could get. Her second length was attached to the other post on her side, and she slowly eased herself off the edge of the cliff. She was harnessed securely to her side; in the event of a fall, she wouldn’t freefall to her death.

Slowly, cautiously, she began to hand-over-hand her way across the chasm, sweat beading on her brow with every passing second. At the middle of the expanse, she released the grip her right hand had on the rope, dangling only by the strength of one arm. Swiftly, almost desperately, she lobbed the noosed end of her final rope at the stake embedded in the ground on the far side of the gorge. It missed, slapping against the cliff wall and starting a lazy fall down into the inky depths. She cursed, gathering it back up with her free hand. She tried again, this time managing an awkward hit, the noose looped about the stake and a jaunty angle. Pulling it as tight as she dared, she regained her grip on the overhead rope and continued on, managing a few feet before the rope began to strain, dipping farther and farther downward.

Taking a deep breath, she released her hold on her lifeline, freefalling for a moment before the last rope caught her weight. She clung to it, falling in an arc and finally slamming against the cliff wall. She waited for a moment, catching her breath, before she began the slow rappel towards the top. It seemed eons, but she finally made it, letting her exhausted body collapse against the rocky earth.

Long moments dragged by as she caught her breath. Finally, she took her knapsack off her shoulders yet again and removed her flashlight. Gathering what she could salvage of her ropes, she replaced them in the sack and continued on, following the edge of the gorge, shining her light along the darkened expanse. Minutes passed, then an hour, and she suddenly espied something that caused her to drop to her knees, hysterical laughter bubbling up from a place deep inside her.

There, an mere hour’s walk from the site of her perilous crossing, hung a bridge, in perfect condition, suspended safely over the cavernous gorge. She continued to laugh, curling into a little ball to try and ease the cramps lancing through her abdomen. Her sides hurt, her stomach hurt, but she couldn’t stop laughing. She’d risked her life, and a perfectly safe crossing had been present, only a few miles away.

Now that would be a story to bring home.

Total Time: 20 minutes
Word Count: 766